Uranus' Rings

Uranus' Rings
Voyager 2 - 4.170.000 km - 1986.1.26

The 9 known rings of Uranus are visible here. The somewhat fainter, pastel lines seen between the rings are artifacts of computer enhancement. Six narrow-angle images were used to extract color information from the extremely dark and faint rings. The final image was made from three color averages and represents an enhanced, false-color view. The image shows that the brightest, or epsilon, ring at top is neutral in color, with the fainter 8 remaining rings showing color differences between them.

Name Distance * Width Thickness Mass Albedo
1986U2R 38,000 km 2,500 km 0.1 km ? 0.03
U6R 41,840 km 1-3 km 0.1 km ? 0.03
U5R 42,230 km 2-3 km 0.1 km ? 0.03
U4R 42,580 km 2-3 km 0.1 km ? 0.03
Alpha 44,720 km 7-12 km 0.1 km ? 0.03
Beta 45,670 km 7-12 km 0.1 km ? 0.03
Eta 47,190 km 0-2 km 0.1 km ? 0.03
Gamma 47,630 km 1-4 km 0.1 km ? 0.03
Delta 48,290 km 3-9 km 0.1 km ? 0.03
1986U1R 50,020 km 1-2 km 0.1 km ? 0.03
Epsilon 51,140 km 20-100 km < 0.15 km ? 0.03

* The distance is measured from the planet center to the start of the ring.

(Courtesy NASA/JPL)